Spruce Lake
by Ohjazzy
Summary: Matt is sent to a religious summer camp after his parents find out he's gay, but instead of finding God, he meets a gorgeous blond named Mello and ruins his chances for redemption as they begin to fall in love. AU, rated T for now...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story in a loooong time... Alternate universe, at that! I'm iffy about it because this kind of story takes creativity and commitment... Two things I don't always have xD Eeek! But, anyways, read this and tell me what you think so I know if I should even bother continuing it or not.** **-chews nails nervously-**

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><p>The bus ride was long and uneventful as I rested my head against the window and watched the city fade and morph into wilderness. All the other teens on the bus talked and laughed with each other and I made no attempt to join in, drowning them out with the music from my MP3 player. It only took about twenty minutes before I was completely and utterly bored and I pulled the DS from my pocket, playing it for the next two hours straight until we reached our destination and my hell for the next two months, Spruce Lake Bible Camp.<p>

It was about four in the afternoon when we all piled off the bus and grabbed our luggage. There were two camp counselors waiting for us, wearing khaki shorts and cheesy smiles. The girl counselor introduced herself as Misa and the male, Matsuda. Both of them seemed a few cards short of a full deck but what they lacked in smarts they made up for with enthusiasm. We followed them up to a large, log building which turned out to be the camp's chapel. There was already a group of teens inside, from another bus, I assumed. Everyone took a seat on the wooden benches and continued their content chatter while I simply stared down at my feet, wondering how long it would be until I could be alone and have a cigarette.

Everyone quieted down suddenly and I looked up as a man stepped out in front and greeted us all in a smooth voice, "Hello and welcome. My name is Light Yagami and I'm the camp's manager."

My lip curled in distaste at his well-groomed hair and perfectly pressed clothes. He looked about 20 years old and had this 'holier-than-thou' air about him. Hopefully, I would have no reason to interact with him this summer. He went on to tell us how excited he was for this summer and how much fun we were all going to have and then explained a bit about the camp and how it was split in half, one side for the girl's cabins and one side for the boy's. A list of rules came next.

"Here at Spruce Lake, we're all here to enjoy ourselves and get closer to nature and God. We don't use profanity nor do we fight, whether verbally or physically, and we do not tolerate any kind of substance abuse, including cigarettes."

I sighed at that, thinking about the four cartons I'd stuffed into my luggage. I would be damned if this tool thought he could keep me from smoking. Rules were made to be broken, after all.

"Also, we encourage everyone to make friends but please remember to keep it appropriate. Respect each other's personal space and boundaries."

I snorted audibly and several people looked at me, including Light, whose charming smile faltered. His eyes flashed with annoyance for a split-second and then he looked away, plastering on a happy face again.

"Let's move on, shall we?"

Several counselors then came forward and introduced themselves, including Misa and Matsuda, and read off a list of names of the teens that would be in their cabins. Sure enough, it was just my luck that Matsuda called my name and I sighed, standing up to join the group behind him. The last person to be brought into our group was a skinny boy with straight blond hair that just brushed his shoulders and an overall cranky demeanor, named Mihael. He seemed to want to avoid social interaction as much as I did.

"Okay, guys! Let's go!" Matsuda said, practically bursting with excitement as he gestured for us to follow him. I rolled my eyes behind the orange goggles I wore.

We left the chapel and were brought up a long, winding hill to our cabin, which was dubbed "Cabin 7". The walk left me sweaty and red-faced and I wished I had worn a pair of shorts instead of jeans. I glanced up, wondering how the blond, Mihael, felt, being dressed in black pants and a matching long-sleeve shirt. He was only a few feet ahead of me and I noticed that even his walk was full of attitude, all stomping feet and swinging hips. Naturally, my eyes dropped to check out his backside. Despite his obvious unpleasantness, he was cute and his butt definitely was too.

I sighed, somewhat loudly, causing him to look over his shoulder at me, his eyes narrowed. I looked away, adjusting the bag on the shoulder, trying to shift my thoughts to something a little less gay. That was, after all, the reason my parents had sent me to a bible camp in the first place.

About a month ago, at my tender age of 15, I finally came out to them. I'd anticipated my father's yelling and my mother's crying but I hadn't counted on them signing me up for two months at a very religious summer camp; co-ed, of course. I think they were hoping the bible readings and many young girls running around would 'fix' my homosexuality, like it was some temporary faze, and I would return to them their perfect little genius again. I hadn't argued because I didn't want to upset them more and besides, it's not like I had any big summer plans anyway.

The wooden cabin was a small, square room with four bunk beds and one single bed that I assumed was for Matsuda. There was also a small bathroom attached with only a toilet and sink. The showers were farther up the hill in a separate building. By the time I got through the door, everyone had chosen their beds and 'bunk buddies'. I looked around for the empty bed that would be mine and saw that I'd be sharing with the blond. He'd already thrown his luggage onto the bottom, so I tossed mine on the top and decided I should at least say hi to him, since we were sharing a bunk and all.

"Hey, I'm-"

"Mail. Yeah, I heard your name earlier." The smaller boy dug through his bag for something, not even bothering to look at me.

"Right. Well, my friend's call me Matt..." I trailed off as he stood up and turned to look at me with his cold blue eyes.

"Good for you," He shot back as he unwrapped a chocolate bar. He took a large bite and then walked past me toward the door. I watched as Matsuda tried to stop him, asking where he was going and Mihael turned on him one of the best death glares I've ever seen. He muttered something about going for a walk and then took off. Matsuda gave a weak shout after him, "Be at the cafeteria for five o'clock!" before returning his attention to the other teens.

I stared at the door for a moment, frowning, before shaking my head and muttering, "Asshole..."

I wasn't really annoyed or insulted, though. It took more than some snotty brat to get to me. In all honesty, for whatever reason, I was actually intrigued by this cute, blond asshole and wanted to get to know him better. He seemed to be the only interesting person here, not only in my cabin, but in the whole damn camp.

I saw him in the cafeteria at dinner and decided on impulse to sit down across from him. No one else was sitting at our table and I assumed it was because of the very obvious "fuck you" vibe that the other boy gave off. He looked up from his plate of spaghetti at me. Surprisingly, his expression wasn't cruel or disgusted. I had been expecting him to throw something at me or tell me to get the fuck up and go sit somewhere else but he just continued to swirl the pasta around his plate, not actually eating any. I, however, was starving and cleaned my plate in less than five minutes. I was moving on to my lime green Jell-O when he finally spoke.

"So, what's up with those goggles?"

He gestured the orange lenses over my eyes and I found myself smiling. 'Success!' I thought, 'he's talking to me and I didn't even have to do anything.'

"I like them," I answered simply, as I always did.

He furrowed his brows and gave me a look that asked "are you kidding?" and when I said nothing, his expression changed to one of mild amusement.

"You're a big nerd, aren't you? One of those kids who sit at home all the time, playing World of Warcraft. Judging by the colour of your skin, you avoid the outdoors at all costs."

I cocked my head to the side, a bit surprised by his (quite accurate) assumptions about me and his smirk grew when he took in my reaction and realized he'd been correct. I decided that two could play at that game and leaned against the table, looking him up and down. Dark clothes, long hair, painted nails, bitchy attitude... Perhaps he was one of those kids who fancied themselves 'Goth'. He even had a cross hanging around his neck, though he certainly didn't fit in with the rest of the religious kids there. Maybe it was for shock value.

"And you probably sit around all day listening to angry music and writing in your journal, eh?"

His smirk turned into a full-blown grin and something in my stomach stirred at the sight of it.

"Not even close," He answered mysteriously. "What the hell is a guy like you doing at summer camp, Matt?"

The way he said my nickname in that teasing tone made my stomach do that weird fluttery thing again and I found myself chuckling nervously.

"Parents made me. They thought it would be good for me to, uh... get outside and stuff."

He didn't miss the awkwardness of my answer and I decided that along with cute and bitchy, he also seemed fairly intelligent. I was beginning to think that maybe we really could get along.

"What about you, Mihael?" I asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

The look on his face told me that he was not fond of his name and he proved me right when he waved a delicate hand in the air and said, "Mello, call me Mello."

I held back a laugh, wondering who the hell had given him that nickname. I'd only met him about an hour ago and I already knew this guy was anything _but_ mellow.

"My parents sent me here, too," He admitted bitterly. "They think I'm out of control, which is complete bullshit, by the way. I got into a few fights and was _unfairly_ expelled from school. Of course, my mom and dad over-reacted and decided to send me here. I don't know if they're expecting these bible-thumping morons to set me straight or if they just want me out of their hair for a few months but either way it fucking sucks."

So, he was a scrapper, apparently. How a boy that scrawny could hurt anybody was beyond me but I figured I'd better be careful around him. I wasn't much of a fighter, nor was I as intense as Mihael appeared to be, so my chances against him probably wouldn't be very good and I wanted to get through the summer without a broken nose. I realized he was staring at me and I nodded my head to show that I'd heard what he said. His gaze brought back the damn butterflies in my stomach and I realized, somewhat sourly, that I was attracted to him.

'Wonderful', I thought. 'My parents send me to a religious camp to cure my gayness and the first day I'm here I end up crushing on some guy."

I hadn't actually believed that the camp would help, but still, I felt like a failure. I was a decent looking guy with a good sense of humor and a high IQ, but I was also gay and therefore flawed. I was my parent's only child and they put everything they had into me and yet I still couldn't be perfect. It was quite a blow to the self-esteem to hear your own father call you a 'faggot' like it was the worst possible thing you could be.

I shook off the thoughts and realized that I really needed a smoke. It had been nearly five hours since my last one. Looking down at Mello's half-eaten spaghetti, I asked, "If you're done, do you wanna walk back to the cabin with me?"

He seemed to think about it for a second and I wondered if he was trying to come up with a reason not to, but then he dropped his fork and stood up. After we returned our trays, the two of us started the long walk up to the cabin. The sun was still out and I looked around for a place I could go to smoke where no one could see, when I noticed a small path in the bushes and made a beeline for it. Mello hesitated for only a split-second and then he followed me and we walked until I was sure we couldn't be seen anymore before pulling the pack of cigarettes from my pocket and lighting one. Mello scrunched up his nose as I breathed out a content sigh, smoke billowing from my mouth.

"I was wondering why you were coming in here. I thought you were planning on molesting me but this is worse. Cigarettes are nasty." He muttered.

I frowned, wondering why he would follow me if he thought I was going to molest him, unless perhaps he wanted it. Oh, boy. Stop right there.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," I replied calmly, taking another drag.

I noticed that he was watching me closely for about a minute and asked, "Do you want to try a puff?"

I hadn't really thought he would but as I would soon learn, Mello could not back down from a challenge and that's what he saw it as. He grabbed the smoke from my hand, examined it for a moment, and then awkwardly held it between his lips. He inhaled slightly and, just as I had my first time, he started to choke and cough. Taking back the cigarette, I finished it off while I waited for him to recover.

"Like I said, disgusting," He wheezed when he was finally able to speak again, and I laughed at the frustrated look on his face, crushing the cigarette under my boot.

"You're not such a tough guy after all, are you?" I asked in a joking manner, ignoring his glare as I checked my watch. "We better head over to the chapel, it's almost six."

The two of us rolled our eyes and began our walk back. We were quiet until we reached the end of the path and Mello grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to ask what he was doing, but he spoke first.

"Okay, Matt," He began, letting go of my arm and avoiding my gaze. "So, this isn't really my thing but… I figure, this place might be a little more bearable if we, you know… I mean, so far you haven't made me want to punch you in the face so I don't mind us like, walking around or sitting in the cafeteria together."

Watching him try to spit that out while trying to appear cool and indifferent was highly amusing. I pursed my lips, pretending to look thoughtful for a moment. "So, what you're saying is… you want to be my friend?"

The blond scoffed. "Whatever slays your dragon, you big geek."

We started walking again and it took me a while to realize that I had a big, stupid grin plastered on my face. I was quite happy due to the fact that Mello had actually _wanted_ to be my friend and it wasn't just one-sided. Always a little paranoid, I had the slight feeling of impending doom deep in my gut, but the giddiness I felt walking next to that vivacious blond overpowered it. If I decided to look on the bright side for once, perhaps this summer wouldn't actually be so bad.

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><p><strong>AN: Ahhh... So, what do you think? Should I write more or just leave it and keep doing dirty one-shots hahaha XD**

**BTW, there are probably tons of camps out there called Spruce Lake, but it was the first thing that came to my head and I just went with it... so, yeah. This one is imaginary and not actually based on any real camp. K? K.**


	2. Chapter 2

I was shaken awake the next morning when someone kicked the bed and scared the shit out of me. For a second, in my groggy state, I thought the bunk was collapsing. I sat up quickly and smacked my head off the wooden ceiling, much to the amusement of whoever had woken me up.

"Oh, shit!" Mello said between laughs. "It's almost time for breakfast, Matt."

I groaned loudly in reply, clutching my aching head.

"Oh, come on, you're fine. Get up."

I didn't move for another few seconds, before finally rolling over and climbing down the small ladder. Grabbing a new pair of clothes, I got dressed while Mello brushed out his hair. I considered making some joke about how girly he looked right then, but decided against it. I already had a headache, I didn't need to listen to him bitch and make it worse.

"Alright, guys, everyone ready?" Matsuda's voice rang out in the cabin and the other guys replied enthusiastically "Yeah!", making my head pound.

Mello and I trailed behind the group as we walked to the cafeteria and I spotted the path we had taken the day before. Maybe I could sneak in a smoke before anyone noticed? Mello saw where I was looking and with a roll of his eyes, shoved me in that direction.

"Go. I'll tell Matsuda you went to the bathroom if he asks."

I smiled gratefully at him before disappearing into the bushes and lighting up. When I was finished, I still had a pounding headache and tried to remember where the camp's infirmary was. Maybe the nurse could give me a Tylenol. I passed the cafeteria and my stomach grumbled at the thought of food, but I continued walking until I came upon the first aid building, which was made from logs like all the other buildings. I only knew it was the right place because of the sign hanging over the door.

Walking in, I stopped in my tracks when I saw the camp manager and nurse in what looked like a heated discussion. The nurse was skinny male with wild black hair and soft, gray eyes. He looked bored as Light whispered something to him, standing a little too close in my opinion. Looking down, my eyes widened when I realized Light's hand had been resting on the other man's belt. Thankfully, the dark-haired man noticed me and looked over, causing Light to pull away and turn around, looking surprised for a moment, before plastering on that fake smile.

"We'll continue this conversation later, Ryuzaki," He murmured to the skinnier man and then walked past me and out the door. I watched him leave and then turned back to the nurse who was still looking at me with those dull eyes.

"What can I do for you?" He asked in a soft voice.

My curiosity made me want to ask "What was _that_?" but instead I simply asked if he had anything for my headache. The taller man walked over to a large cupboard, unlocked it and pulled out a bottle of acetaminophen, dropping two into my hand. He then poured some water into a paper cup and handed it to me, watching me as I took the pills. His gaze unnerved me and I tossed the cup into the garbage, muttered a "thanks" and then left.

My watch said I had about ten minutes left to eat so when I got to the cafeteria, I made a beeline for the "buffet", I guess you could call it, and grabbed what was left of the scrambled eggs, some bacon and a few pancakes, then I looked around for Mello. He was seated at the same table as the night before, sipping chocolate milk and staring at me as I walked over to sit with him. Damn those blue eyes, all narrowed and pensive and sexy.

And really, if this guy was going to be my friend, I would have to stop thinking like that before he figured out that I was gay and kicked the crap out of me. Not that he looked very straight himself, even I had to admit that from certain angles he looked quite feminine, but what were the chances of _two_gays at bible camp? Not very good, I guessed.

"What took you so long?" He asked when I reached the table and sat down.

"I went to the first aid station to get something for the massive headache you gave me."

Mello scoffed and looked out the window toward the lake. "Pussy," He muttered under his breath and I smirked before shoving a huge chunk of pancake in my mouth.

I ate quickly, as usual, and at the end of breakfast, Light announced that we we're to go to the chapel to worship or whatever, I wasn't really listening, but what he said next caught my attention. After we would all get our individual cabin schedules. Apparently, every group rotated activities throughout the day. There was archery, swimming, canoeing, and various sports such as basketball and volleyball. My face must've shown my dread, because Mello looked over at me and snorted.

"Not into sports, Matt?"

My eyes fell on his amused face and I sighed. "I'm not really into anything that involves too much sun or bodily movement. I'm lazy and I burn easily."

It was true. My skin was very fair and I never really did anything physically exerting unless absolutely necessary. I was sure I'd be dead by lunch. Mello didn't seem too bothered by it, though. Something told me he wasn't as opposed to the outdoors as I was. As we walked to the chapel, I tried to tell myself it wouldn't be so bad. Besides, at some point during the day, I would get to see Mello in his swim trunks and that was definitely a plus. I would just have to survive until then.

Thankfully, we had archery first. It sounded easy enough. I mean, you just point, pull back, and release, right? Well, it definitely wasn't as easy as I thought. During the whole hour, only one of my arrows hit the target, and all the others landed a few feet in front of me.

"This is fucking stupid," I grumbled, and dropped my bow to the ground. Our instructor was busy helping out one of the other guys so it gave me a few minutes to relax and watch Mello instead.

The guy was a natural. Every arrow he shot landed on the target, often in the bullseye. When I asked him if he had done this before, he laughed and shook his head, saying, "Do I look like the kind of person to use a bow and arrow? No, guns are better." He wiggled his eyebrows and I wiped my face to make sure I hadn't drooled.

"When the hell have you used a gun?" I asked.

"My dad hunts," Mello replied as he shot another arrow at the target and then turned to me. "He taught me how to use a bunch of different guns. There's nothing more thrilling than the sound of gunfire, Matt. You should try it sometime."

He flashed his straight, white teeth in a grin and I couldn't help but smile back because, damn, he was sexy. The way he carried himself suggested that he knew it, too. Friggin' sexy, conceited bastard.

I was thankful when archery was over because my hand had started to hurt and I was getting sick of making a fool of myself. Up next was a game of volleyball. It was our cabin against another cabin, guys against girls. 'No fucking way' was all I could think.

Mello rolled his eyes as I walked up to Matsuda and explained that I needed to go back up to the cabin to put on some sunscreen before I burnt to a crisp. It was true but I also planned on taking my sweet time doing so and having a cigarette while I was at it. When I came back, about twenty minutes later, everyone else was sweaty and loud and very engaged in the game. I snuck up unnoticed and sat down in the grass, resting my goggles on the top of my head so I could see the game better.

As usual, my attention was drawn to Mello. Was there anything this guy wasn't good at? His face was intense as he played and not once did the ball get past him. I guessed that even if it was just him against the other team, he'd still win. His hair was messed and his cheeks were flushed, but he still looked amazing, especially in that fitted t-shirt. I sighed loudly just as a girl sat down beside me and interrupted my thoughts

"Hi," She said in a soft, feminine voice. "I'm Kiyomi, what's your name?"

I quickly glanced at her before turning my attention back to the blond. She was a petite girl with short black hair and blue eyes. She was very pretty by normal standards but not my type, for obvious reasons.

"Matt," I replied simply.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her smile as she asked, "How come you're not playing, Matt?"

"Volleyball isn't really my thing," I explained, hoping that if I continued to give short answers and didn't look at her, she would get bored and leave me alone.

"Oh? What is your 'thing'?"

Oh, god. Was she trying to flirt with me? This happened far too often, especially at school. So often, in fact, that I'd seriously considered coming out just so they would all leave me alone. But, as it was, I couldn't just look at them and say 'I'm gay, go away.' No, I wasn't there yet. Maybe I never would be and I'd have to just start carrying a stick to beat them off with.

Thankfully, the game ended at that moment and Mello walked over, eyeing the girl with distaste.

"You're in my spot," He told her calmly, but I could hear the laced threat.

"Excuse me?" Kiyomi asked, looking confused.

Mello cocked an eyebrow and repeated a little slower, as if she were stupid. "You, are in my spot. Move."

The dark-haired girl stared at him for a moment and then looked over at me. When I just smiled and shrugged at her, she scoffed and stood up, walking back to join her cabin's group. Mello took the spot she'd previously been occupying and leaned back on his hands, looking at me with his catlike eyes.

"Sorry if I interrupted something. Was I wrong to assume that you weren't enjoying her company?"

I laughed. "No, I should thank you, actually. It would have gotten a lot more awkward if you hadn't showed up."

We got about a ten minute break to "catch our breath", not that I needed to, before we headed to the cafeteria for lunch. As we ate, I decided to tell Mello about the weird thing that happened earlier at the first aid station between the manager and nurse. He seemed highly amused.

"By the sounds of it, if you had waited a few seconds before walking in, you probably would have caught them making out," He said matter-of-factly, sipping his chocolate milk. I'd noticed by now that the guy loved chocolate and consumed it in ridiculous amounts daily.

"Well, yeah, that's what it looked like. Light couldn't be gay, though, right?" I asked, confused as to how _that_would work.

"Pfft, I think he looks like a huge homo," Mello replied casually.

My brows furrowed and I wanted to tell him not to use that word, since it was offensive and all that, but I'd never stood up for gays before and I didn't start then. I couldn't let him know I was one of them. So, instead, I just shrugged and maintained an indifferent expression even though I knew that comment was going to bother me all day.

Mello didn't really look gay_. _I mean, more often than not, gay people looked just like any other person, but he didn't really look straight either. There are only two reasons a person says things like that and there was no way to know if he was in the closet and spoke like that to uphold an image or if he was really just homophobic. The latter didn't make sense to me. He was a highly intelligent person, surely he wasn't that narrow-minded? Did that mean… No, doubt it, I thought.

The rest of lunch passed in silence before we left for the cabin again to change into our swim trunks. I changed in the bathroom because I knew Mello would change at our bunk and I couldn't handle that kind of _temptation_, I guess you could call it. He'd be naked right beside me and I had a feeling I'd be staring.

When I walked out of the bathroom in my lime green shorts, Mello and all the other guys were standing at the door, about to leave. I caught up, after having checked out Mello's butt again. Man, I was doomed. And I would be even more so when those black shorts he was wearing got all wet and clingy and… Fuck sakes.

"What's wrong with you?"

Mello's voice suddenly broke into my thoughts and I realized I was frowning. Instantly, I flipped it around and gave him a cheesy smile.

"Hm? Nothing. I like swimming. We have a pool at home so I'm a good swimmer. It's probably the only sport I'm good at, if you consider it a sport, that is," I rambled on, ignoring Mello's odd gaze, until we got to the lake.

Standing on the dock was the tall, tanned brunette, Light Yagami, in a pair of red swim shorts. He waved to all of us and gave us that 'charming' smile of his. His eyes landed on mine and I felt a chill run down my spine. Did anyone else catch that creepy look he gave me? No, apparently not.

"Since it's your first day, you all need to complete a swim test so we can be sure you can handle yourselves in the water. This is for your own safety," He explained as he checked the clipboard he was holding, jotting something down.

"Okay, everyone in the water."

Without warning, I was shoved off the dock and into the cold wetness. When I surfaced, gasping for air, I looked around and saw Mello laughing a few feet away from me and smacked some water in his direction. It was my turn to laugh when he sputtered and choked, glaring at me. He went to retaliate when he was suddenly splashed again from behind. Another boy had been aiming for his friend and had missed, hitting Mello instead.

Almost instantly, a huge splash fight began between all of us but the fun was short-lived when Light shouted, "Enough!"

Everyone stopped and looked up at him as he regained his composure.

"There will be time for that later," He went on, sounding a little exasperated. "For now, let's get the testing over with."

First up was the boy named Eric, who passed the test with ease. Up next was Mello, who did his laps even faster than the first boy, just to prove that he was better, I guessed. He sure was competitive. The rest of them completed their test successfully and I was last, which I hated it. Being first or last always drew more attention. One of the guys, Mike, made a joke about my goggles and how I came prepared or whatever and his laughter was silenced as Mello turned to look at him.

Several laps later, completed with different swimming styles, Light passed me and announced that we could all swim freely for the rest of the hour. I was heading to the diving board with the other guys, when Light called my name again.

"Mail, could you come here for a minute?"

The way he watched me with those slanted brown eyes as I climbed back up onto the dock made me nervous, almost as much as the fact that he wanted to talk to me at all. He led me off the dock and towards the shed that held the canoeing equipment. So, apparently, he wanted to speak to me alone, away from prying eyes. This must be about the scene from earlier, between him and Ryuzaki.

Why did I have this overwhelming sense of dread?

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><p><strong>AN: :O Sooo... Yeah. There's chapter two. Let me know what you think and if I should continue xD BTW, thank you so much to the people who reviewed chapter 1! You guys are awesome! ^_^  
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	3. Chapter 3

As Light unlocked and opened the door to the shed, I looked back out to the lake and noticed that Mello had stopped swimming and was giving me a questioning look which I answered with a shrug. I had about as much an idea of what was going on as he did.

"Take over for a minute, Matsuda, we're just going to get some equipment," Light called to the eager camp counsellor.

"Sure thing, Light!" Matsuda replied enthusiastically and turned back to the water to keep watch.

The shed was large and filled all kinds of stuff from lifejackets and canoe paddles to inflated tubes and pool noodles. Light closed the door behind us and I turned around to face him. He was sporting that damned fake smile again but there was also a glint of something in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.

"So, Mail, I spoke to your parents earlier this week," He said. The gentle, comforting tone he used didn't fool me and I felt my stomach twist in slight panic, my instinct telling me this would not be good. "We don't usually accept enrolments so late but, after hearing your situation, I decided to make an exception for you."

I wanted to tell him to cut to the chase already and get it over with but I couldn't find my voice. The bastard was enjoying it too, I could tell. His 'friendly' smile changed to a more sombre expression as he went on.

"They said you've been a little… well, confused lately and asked me to help you find your way back to God."

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth for a moment.

"I know everything, Mail," he said quietly, putting emphasis on the word 'everything'.

I opened my eyes again and feeling the heat of anger and embarrassment I snapped, the temper I usually kept under wraps breaking free. "And what about it? Where the hell are you going with this, Light?"

Light smirked, amused by my reaction. "I just wanted to let you know that if you need someone to talk to, I'm always available."

At this point, I couldn't tell whether he was threatening me or coming onto me. Perhaps both, but either way I was uncomfortable and wanted out of there as quickly as possible. I tried to walk around him to leave but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

My temper flared again and without thinking, I spat, "Fuck off, Light. If this about you screwing the nurse, I really don't give a-"

Light's eyes widened as he grabbed both of my arms, squeezing enough to make me wince. He brought his face close to mine and hissed, "I can and will make your life a living hell if you cross me, Mail. Keep your filthy lies to yourself or everyone might just find out your secret."

After a moment, he released me and stuffed my arms full of pool noodles and grabbed two inner tubes for himself, nudging me towards the door. After silently making our way back to the dock, we tossed the noodles and tubes into the water and the guys rushed over, battling for each item. Two of them began having a 'sword fight' with the noodles, something I would normally have found kind of amusing but I was feeling too sick to laugh.

Still angry, anxious and embarrassed, I sat down on the edge of the dock and slipped into the water. Mello swam over and lightly whacked me over the head with a noodle.

"You okay?" He asked, eyeing me suspiciously when I didn't retaliate.

"Yeah, fine. Why?" I forced a smile and a laugh to brush off his concern but he just continued to stare at me for a moment.

One of the reasons I wore my goggles was because I had been told all my life that I had very "expressive" eyes. I hated that, so I decided to hide them. For the most part, they worked and people never really made the effort to look past them anymore… but Mello's intense gaze went right through the tinted plastic and I might as well not have worn them at all.

"You're a terrible liar, Matt," He said with a half-smirk and tossed me the lime green noodle.

I suddenly felt a bit of relief. Half because Mello instinctively knew there was something wrong, but also because he wasn't going to force it out of me. At least not in front of other people, but I knew he would make me tell him later.

When the hour was over, Light blew his whistle and waved us over to the dock. The guys all swam back to the dock quickly, seeing who could get there first, while Mello and I lagged behind.

His shoulder length blond hair was slicked back and his eyelashes were dark and thick from water that clung to them, making him look more feminine than usual, which wasn't such a bad thing. He was just more beautiful than the average male. His blue eyes flicked over to me before he climbed up the ladder, giving me a wonderful view of his ass and I realized I'd been staring again. Cursing my hormonal self, I climbed the ladder and reached for my towel.

Light flipped through some papers on his clipboard as we dried off and slipped on our shoes. I ran a hand through my shaggy red hair, trying to remove the excess water and caught Mello looking at me, his arms crossed, chewing his lip in thought. I was suddenly very self-conscious of my pale skin, thin waist and freckled shoulders. Of course, he was also skinny and pale but I figured he pulled it off better than I did.

"Alright, you guys are moving on to canoeing. You have about fifteen minutes to go change and then be back here," Light announced, shooing us away as another group made their way over to the docks.

"Enough time for you to squeeze in a smoke, too," Mello muttered to me as we headed back to the cabin.

After getting dressed in some dry clothes and me slathering on another layer of sunscreen, Matsuda led the group back down the path toward the docks. Mello and I slipped unnoticed into the path that had become my smoking sanctuary. I lit up and leaned against a birch tree, letting the nicotine haze wash over me.

"So, what happened earlier?" Mello asked, pulling a chocolate bar out of his pocket. I watched him unwrap it and take a bite, wondering how he wasn't diabetic by now.

I sighed. "Just some weird shit. Light doesn't want me saying anything about him and the nurse so he felt he needed to threaten me."

Mello stopped chewing for a moment, thinking, and then spoke through a mouthful of chocolate, "What did he threaten you with? Kicking you out of bible camp? 'Cause that sure as hell would ruin your summer…"

His sarcasm made me smile and I shook my head. "No, he was pretty vague. Just made it very clear to 'keep my filthy lies to myself', as he put it."

Mello cocked an eyebrow and for a second, I thought he saw right through my lie, but he simply shrugged. "Huh. Oh well, if he gives you trouble again we can put frogs in his bed."

I laughed, despite the slight pang in my stomach when it hit me that, as much as I liked Mello, I would probably never be able to tell him the truth about myself.

"Welcome to your first canoeing lesson. My name's Wedy and this is Aiber," An attractive blond in large sunglasses introduced herself and her well-built partner, both of them wearing red shorts and holding a canoe paddle.

"First off, you're all going to need one of these," Wedy pointed to a pile of lifejackets that had been set out and then turned to bend over and grab one for herself and Aiber. A few of the guys nudged each other, whispering crude comments. I had to agree that she was indeed very nice looking and if I was straight I'd probably have been drooling right along with them. Aiber was also a bit of a looker but I preferred my guys less bulky. And less hairy.

I glanced over at Mello to see his reaction but he seemed completely uninterested in either of them. Interesting.

"It doesn't matter how experienced you think you are, you still need one," Wedy continued as she slid on her lifejacket and did up the buckles.

Everyone in the group grabbed one and put it on. I felt ridiculous in the boxy, bright yellow jacket, but everyone else looked as dumb as I did and I found comfort in that. Wedy and Aiber went through a list of safety rules and showed us how to hold a paddle properly and practice our strokes. It was all very boring and I found myself longing for my Nintendo-DS. 'Oh, how I miss you, Mario…'

Mello broke into my nerdy thoughts with a shove. "I'm sitting in the front," He said flatly and I noticed everyone else had paired up and were climbing into their own canoes. Mello hopped in confidently with his paddle and I followed much more tentatively, feeling uneasy as the floor beneath me shifted.

"Let me guess, you've never been in a canoe before," Mello stated with a smirk.

I sat down and gave him the finger and he shook his head, all the while maintaining his smirk and said in a joking tone, "Oh, Matt, is there anything you _can_ do? I mean, you're a terrible archer, you didn't even _attempt_volleyball, and your swimming is rather mediocre…"

My jaw dropped and I blurted defensively, "Hey, I'm a damn good hacker and I can fix pretty much anything. I can cook and… I'm awesome at DDR."

Mello frowned in thought and then laughed. "DDR… Are you serious, Matt? I could kick your fucking ass at DDR. Overall, that stuff isn't very impressive, you're lucky you're-"

"Alright, everyone ready?"

The sound of Aiber's voice drowned out the rest of what Mello had said but I could've sworn he was going to say cute or perhaps sexy. Okay, maybe sexy was pushing it but it wouldn't be the first time I was called cute… Well, from a guy it would be. A really hot, intelligent, funny guy who was probably just saying that as a joke. What were the chances Mello actually found me attractive? Realistically, not very good.

We started out slow, practicing our strokes. It was easy once I got the hang of it and knowing that Mello and his expertise were with me, I relaxed and began to enjoy the smooth ride. The trip was about a half-hour long and Wedy and Aiber guided us out until we could no longer see the camp, took us by a small island and then back around. Halfway through my arms began to burn with the effort of paddling and I stopped enjoying it and started wondering how long until I could stand on dry land again. And have a cigarette.

When we got back to shore, Wedy and Aiber showed us how to carry the canoes properly and told us to bring them back up to the shed since we were the last group for the day. I groaned audibly as Mello and I picked up the canoe over our heads and began following the rough, dirt path to the shed. As we walked, I stumbled on a rock, lost my grip on the canoe, fell, got the side of the canoe in my head and blacked out.

I'm not sure how long I was unconscious for, but my guess is probably a few seconds. Mello was leaning over me, tapping my cheek with his hand, muttering something like "C'mon, Matt, wake up…"

I opened my eyes and gave him a dopey smile when I saw his face so close to mine and then reality hit me and the pain in my head made me hiss. When my vision became clear again I noticed Wedy and Aiber rushing over, followed less quickly by the rest of the group. Wedy knelt down and put her hand on my chest.

"Don't move," She told me and held up her hand in front of my face. "How many fingers do you see?"

I looked, rolled my eyes and laid my head back down on the ground, sighing loudly. "Two. I'm fine, just let me get up and walk it off." I hated knowing everyone was staring at me, possibly thinking I was a wimp.

Reluctantly, Wedy and Mello backed off enough so I could sit up. I waited to see if I was steady and then pushed myself up to my feet. I stood for a few moments, thinking 'so far so good', and then I stumbled again when a wave of dizziness hit me. Mello and Wedy each grabbed an arm and held me up.

"Okay, you need to go up to the first aid station right now," Wedy said firmly.

"I'll take him up there," Mello volunteered, keeping a hand on my shoulder to make sure I didn't topple over. Wedy nodded and let go of my other arm, watching as Mello slowly and carefully led me away.

"What the hell happened?" Mello asked when we were out of earshot.

Rubbing the throbbing spot on my head, I muttered, "There was a big rock in the way and I didn't notice it."

"Too busy daydreaming about Zelda?" Mello joked and I gave a weak laugh, nearly replying, "Link, maybe…" but cutting myself off just in time.

I was feeling a bit better by the time we reached the first aid cabin. At least, not as dizzy but I didn't say anything because, as sad as it may sound, I was enjoying Mello's hands on me and didn't want him to let go just yet.

Inside, we found Ryuzaki sitting at a small desk with his knees up to his chest and sucking on a lollipop while writing something down in a notebook. His dark eyes looked up at us through the mess of black hair and he stopped his writing, pulled the treat from his mouth and said, "Back so soon, Mail? Is your head still bothering you?"

"Well, a canoe landed on it so, yes, it's bothering me," I muttered with a slight smirk.

The tall, pale man seemed unfazed by what I said. He simply stood and started walking towards a room in the back.

"Follow me, please."

"That's what Light's after?" Mello whispered to me with a bewildered expression. "Doesn't seem like his type. I could see him maybe going for Aiber, but this guy?"

Ryuzaki motioned for me to sit down on a clean, white stretcher. He asked me a few questions to check my memory, tested some reflexes and flashed a light into my eyes to examine my pupils. After all this he decided that I was not seriously injured but told me to go back to the cabin and rest for the remainder of the day and tomorrow. Handing me two more acetaminophen, he said, "If you have any problems or concern whatsoever please come and see me again right away."

"'Kay. Thanks, Ryuzaki," I replied before stepping out the door with Mello close behind.

"So, he may not be good-looking by traditional standards but I guess there _is_something about that voice," Mello said thoughtfully, pulling the remainder of his chocolate bar out of his pocket.

Frowning slightly, I looked over at him. "I doubt Light's interested in him just for his voice."

Mello shrugged, "Well I don't know, maybe he has a big dick."

Completely thrown off by his comment I stopped in my tracks, looked at him and burst out laughing, ignoring the pain in my head as I did so. Even as we continued to walk and I thought I was done laughing, I'd think about what he said and start snickering again. He simply smirked and took another bite of his chocolate.

When we got to the cabin, I fished my DS out of my bag and began to climb the ladder to my bunk.

Mello grabbed my arm and pointed to the lower bed, saying, "Take this one instead. I'll sleep up top. Don't need you hitting your head anymore."

I nodded my thanks and flopped down on the bed, turning my game on. Mello sat down on the edge of the bed and flipped open a book. We sat like that in silence for about a half hour until the group came through the door, talking and laughing and being usual rowdy teenage boys. Mello sighed loudly and closed his book, causing a few of the guys to glance our way as they passed.

Matsuda came in last, letting everyone know supper was in ten minutes and that we should wash up and whatnot. He then walked over to our bunk and asked me what had happened.

"I heard you bumped your head. How are you feeling?"

Knowing how gullible he was, I put on a weak voice and replied, "It hurts pretty badly but I'm alright. The nurse told me to take it easy for a few days and that Mello should tend to me in case I take a turn for the worse."

I saw Mello look the other way, hiding his face with his hair to keep Matsuda from seeing his smirk. The counsellor's eyes widened.

"Oh, yeah, don't worry about it, Mail. You just rest up. And Mello, you're a great friend for sticking by him to make sure he's alright."

Mello turned to him and nodded, face serious again. "It's no problem."

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, come with us and grab something to eat." With that, Matsuda walked away, going to round up the other teens.

When he was out of earshot, Mello grinned at me. "Nicely done. Now, what are we going to do with all our free time?"

"How about nothing? I was enjoying myself just laying here, playing my DS…"

Mello looked unimpressed. "Really? Think of all the fun we could have, all the mischief we could get into."

I stared up to the ceiling, pretending to think. "Umm…"

Mello scoffed. "You're just not as creative as I am. I'll figure out something for us to do."

I simply rolled my eyes and sighed. "Wonderful…"

**A/N: FINALLY! After many months I have completed chapter 3... Thank you sosososo much to everyone that favourited/reviewed and I'm sorry it took so long to update but it's baaaack :D**


	4. Chapter 4

When Mello and I passed the cafeteria and I caught a whiff of the food being served, my stomach grumbled loudly. On the plus side, it was unlikely that I was concussed, seeing as how my appetite was as big as ever. Mello heard the sound and with a smirk, handed me a half-eaten chocolate bar that he pulled from his pocket. I unwrapped the foil and took a bite, making a face as I tasted bitter dark chocolate.

"Ugh," I muttered, handing the offensive candy back to him.

He laughed and finished the bar off as we walked up a trail passed the chapel.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked, swatting irritably at a bug that flew in my face.

"I was thinking we should find out where Light sleeps, in case we ever actually need to put some frogs in his bed," Mello said casually, tossing the crumpled foil wrapper to the ground.

I chuckled, thinking he couldn't be serious. Then a cabin came into view at the top of the hill we were climbing, with a sign hanging that read "Camp Manager." My smile fell and I looked back down the path we'd been walking on. I could barely make out the cafeteria anymore, but I really hoped Light was there eating with the other counsellors because Mello was showing no signs of stopping.

The blond peaked in the small window beside the door. When he saw no one inside, he tried turning the knob. Locked, of course. Light wasn't stupid enough to leave his cabin unlocked, bible camp or not.

"Well, that's that, eh?" I said, relieved and began turning around. "If we hurry maybe there'll be some food left."

"Wait," Mello commanded, as he walked around to the side of the cabin. A moment later he came back with a smile on his face. "Bedroom window has a broken lock."

My face dropped and I crossed my arms. "I'm not climbing in a fucking window, Mello."

This guy did not take no for an answer, however, because next thing I knew I was being dragged around back and Mello was lifting the window up.

"After you, Matt," He said, with a smile so charming that all I could do was sigh and crawl through that damn window.

The cabin was a lot nicer than ours, I noticed as I wandered into the living room. I could see he had a fully-equipped bathroom and there was even a flatscreen mounted on the wall. I wasn't really surprised, because Light did not look like the type who could "rough it" very well. There was a desk in the corner with a laptop sitting on it and my fingers twitched at the sight of it. I noticed the blinking lights on the wireless router and nearly moaned. I was just taking a step towards it when I heard Mello shout, "Jackpot!"

He was still in the bedroom, digging through a wooden cabinet. I saw some books and papers inside but the most interesting thing was what Mello held in his hand.

"Is that booze?" I asked incredulously.

Mello grinned and nodded, reading the bottle. "Mm, it's whiskey. Want some?"

"Uh…" I checked the clock on the wall and saw that dinner would be over in a few minutes. "No, bad idea, Mello. We gotta go." I told him, feeling my palms begin to sweat.

Mello glanced at the clock as well and shut the doors on the cabinet, but didn't return the whiskey. It was a small, flat bottle, but it looked nearly full and Mello stuffed it down the front of his already-tight jeans. I face-palmed and was about to ask what the hell he was doing, when we heard two people talking as they approached the front door, one belonging to Light and the other to Ryuzaki.

Keys jingled as one was being fitted into the lock and finally, Mello's panic seemed to match my own. We both lunged for the window. He swiftly climbed out first and then impatiently waited for me to do the same, yanking at my shirt to make me go faster. I fell out of the window just as the door swung open and we took off down the hill and into the trees.

"Do you think they saw us?" I panted as we slowed down, once safely out of sight of Light's cabin.

Mello turned to me, with the bottle in his hand and he began to laugh. It was a snicker at first, but grew until he too was breathless and there were tears in the corners of his eyes. He leaned against a tree for support, his head thrown back and gold hair sticking to his flushed cheeks. He seemed very pleased with himself.

I yanked down my foggy goggles in frustration, my heart still pounding as I watched him. I had an overwhelming urge to grab him and kiss him, maybe just to shut him up, or maybe just because he looked so fucking beautiful at that moment. Either way, knowing that I couldn't do it made me ache.

"Ah, that was fun," Mello finally muttered, mostly to himself as he stood up straight again. He handed me the bottle and told me to carry it for a while, so I followed his example and stuck it into the waistband of my jeans. It was more easily concealed by my loose shirt than his tight one, so I kept it there for the rest of the walk back to the cabin.

When we returned, everyone was already inside and enjoying their free-time before evening chapel hour. Matsuda was pacing, while most of the guys were playing a game of cards. They all looked up when we entered, and the counsellor rushed over to us.

"Hey! Where'd you guys take off to? I was just about to call up Light and tell him you were missing!"

My stomach dropped and I had to close my eyes for a second to compose myself. I heard Mello speak beside me, making up yet another excuse for us.

"Oh, just went for a little walk, Mail's head was feeling better and he wanted some fresh air."

The dull-witted brunette bought it and gently scolded us to not leave again without letting someone know. I could feel Mello rolling his eyes as he walked by the counsellor to his bunk. I had literally just gotten comfortable on my bed with my DS, after discreetly removing the bottle from my jeans and hiding it in my bag, when Matsuda announced that we should start heading down to the chapel.

Seeing my reluctance, he marched over to my bunk and said cheerfully, "Come on, Mail. If you're well enough for walking, then you can make it down to the chapel. A good sermon will make you feel loads better!"

He smiled, reaching out a hand to me and a loud groan escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

That night I lay in bed, replaying the service at the chapel in my head. Light had talked about the Ten Commandments, and at the seventh commandment he had looked right at me as he said, "thou shalt not steal."

There was no anger in his eyes or tone, and the gaze only lasted a moment, but I knew that he knew what we'd done and that alone had me worried. What would he do now? Mello reassured me he couldn't do anything, since there was no proof. But Light didn't need proof. He was intelligent enough to figure it out, and the way he'd threatened me earlier that day told me he would find some way to punish me for crossing him like that. Would he do anything to Mello?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, the blond quietly dropped down from the top bunk and reached into my bag to find the bottle of whiskey. That damn bottle that I was going to suffer for. He motioned for me to get up and I sighed, a bit too loudly because he put a finger to his lips and gave me a look that said "shut the hell up!"

Matsuda was snoring away in his bed, and everyone else seemed to be sound asleep as well, so we edged over to the door and opened it as quietly as possible before sneaking out into the night. It was dark, but the moon gave off enough light that we could just see where we were going. We found our way to the hidden spot where I had my cigarettes and Mello sat down on the ground, pulling me down with him.

"Aren't you worried about what Light's gonna do to us?" I asked, wondering how he seemed so unconcerned.

"He's not going to do anything, Matt. Guys like him are all talk, so you've got nothing to worry about." Mello said matter-of-factly, unscrewing the cap on the bottle.

I watched him take a big gulp, his face contorting in disgust as he passed it over to me. I briefly wondered if I should drink at all, considering my head injury from earlier. Then with a shrug of my shoulders, I brought it to my lips. I'd had a beer once at a family barbecue and it wasn't so bad, how much worse could this be?

It turned out to be much worse and much stronger. It tasted like something you would clean with and it burned all the way down. However, after the third drink I began to feel warm and fuzzy from the inside out and by then, the taste wasn't so bad.

We drank in silence for a while, taking turns sipping the bottle and listening to the quiet sounds of nature. It was very peaceful, then Mello suddenly broke the silence.

"Let's play Truth," He said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Isn't that what girls play at sleepovers?" I giggled, and surprised myself with the sound.

"I don't care, I want to play."

Mello's face was close to mine and his blue eyes were too intense. I felt my cheeks flush when he looked at me. I'd left my goggled back at the cabin, so we were eye to eye, and I swore he could see right through me.

"Okay," I whispered, and then cleared my throat because I'd apparently forgotten how to talk.

He handed me the bottle as he asked the first question. "So, why do you wear those goggles?"

I took another drink and then stared down the half-empty bottle in my hand, trying to think up a good answer. It was getting harder and harder to think at all, but I kind of liked it. It's easier to speak when you don't think too hard about it.

"When people look at me, they see the goggles, not me. They hide my face," I blurted, holding the bottle out for him to take.

Mello frowned as he reached for the whiskey, and he asked, "Why the hell would you want to hide that gorgeous face, Matt?" His lips spread into a delicious smirk so I assumed he was joking around and I just laughed, leaning back against the tree we were sitting in front of. I was feeling more at ease than I had since I'd gotten to this bullshit camp. I took a moment to choose my question.

"Why do you have your hair so long?" I asked him, flipping one of the blond locks that hung beside his face.

He tucked it behind his ear and bit his lip, looking a little self-conscious, which was very un-Mello. I instantly regretted asking, but he answered, "My hair's been long my whole life. Maybe it's a cultural thing, I don't know… but my parents never cut it short and neither have I."

"I like it," I said softly, without thinking. Like I said, thinking was become harder by the minute.

Mello just smiled, "You're drunk, Matt."

"So are you," I pointed out, with my finger in his face.

Mello grabbed my hand, glaring at me while trying to think of how to retaliate. When he realized he was still holding it, he quickly let go and cleared his throat.

"Are you really here because your parents want you to get outside more, or was that just a load of crap?"

It took a second to process the question, and when I understood what he was asking, I looked away, taking yet another swig from the bottle while trying to compose my poker face.

"No, that's pretty much it," I eventually replied. "Are you really here because you're too much of a bad-ass for your parents to handle?"

Mello swiped the bottle from my hand. "Yes, actually," He declared, "And the game is called Truth, Matt. You have to tell the truth, 'cause anyway, you're a bad liar."

His normally eloquent speech was beginning to slur. He must be as drunk as I am, I thought, taking the bottle back and replacing the cap. I figured we'd had enough for now and someone had to be responsible.

"Okay, Matt, serious question. Do you like me? And not in that bullshit grade-school way... Are you attracted to me?" The blond boy asked, leaning closer to me so that I could smell the whiskey on his breath, while mine caught in my throat. Why was he asking me this? I decided I didn't really like this game.

"Don't ask me that," I mumbled, trying to brush it off. He didn't budge, though, and continued staring me down with those sharp blue eyes. I couldn't look into them any more, so I lowered my gaze. I noticed the collar of his shirt had shifted and slid off his shoulder. I reached out to adjust it for him, but instead my fingers just traced along the exposed flesh, down his shoulder and along his collarbone. Did he shiver? I let my hand fall again, opening my mouth to apologize.

I didn't get the chance to utter a word before his lips were on mine, sending what felt like an electric shock through my body. It didn't even start slow, like the unsure first kisses you see in movies. It was intense, hot and wet and so fucking _good_. Mello broke the kiss only long enough to move so that he was on his knees and then his hands were in my hair, forcing my head and mouth upward so our lips could meet again. I just let it happen. I dropped the bottle on the ground and put my hands on his hips, gripping them probably a little harder than I should have.

My mind was reeling. Was this really happening? Did he just climb into my lap? Oh, god, he's sitting in my lap. With his tongue in my mouth and fingers curling in my hair, he rolled his hips against mine and I simply lost it. I don't really know what "it" was. My insecurities? My self-control? Maybe I'd completely lost my mind, but suddenly I was lifting his shirt off of him and kissing his neck and chest, running my hands up and down his back. I ran my tongue over one hard nipple and he moaned in my ear. I was instantly addicted to that sound and needed more of it.

I continued touching and kissing any bit of bare skin I could find but my ministrations were cut short when he said my name. At first, it came out like a breath, "Matt…" and then he repeated it louder, "Matt!"

When I looked up, he kissed me again, a little softer this time and I sighed against his lips. I swear I could have stayed in that moment forever.

Then he pulled away, yanked his shirt back on and told me we should head back. I had never been so disappointed in my life.

"What?" Was all I could manage to say, confusion and a hint of sadness in my voice as I tried to collect my thoughts.

Mello just smirked and helped me to my feet.

"I don't want you to sober up halfway through and completely regret ever becoming friends with me." He muttered, picking up the bottle and checking to see how much was left. Apparently deciding it wasn't worth keeping, he tossed it into the bushes.

"What could I possibly regret?" I asked him, still confused but I could feel the effects of the alcohol wearing off. I needed a bed, and some sleep now. A cold shower would also be helpful.

"We're drunk." Mello stated as he began leading the way back to the cabin. "People do stupid shit when they're drunk. I think I just did something stupid, so let's not make it any worse right now. We have plenty of time for that. Just maybe sober next time."

I didn't even know if what he said made sense, but I think I got the gist of it. I thought being gay made this kind of thing more straightforward but I doubted it could get any more complicated even if Mello had been a girl. I didn't say that, though. I may have been drunk, but I wasn't an idiot.

"Well," I sighed, "At least you got your answer."

Mello looked back at me with a confused expression on his face. "Huh?"

"You asked if I liked you," I reminded him, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah. I got my answer alright," He laughed and gave me a playful nudge in the ribs.

When we reached the outside of the cabin, he stopped me and said in low voice, "Matt, don't be weird about this in the morning, okay?"

I tried to look offended and scoffed, "No, of course not. Don't worry about it, I'm good."

Mello stared at me for moment longer, blinked and then shook his head before heading toward the cabin mumbling something under his breath like, "such a terrible liar…"

And I honestly can't remember climbing into bed that night but when I woke up, my head definitely hurt worse than it had the day before.

**A/N: OMG I haven't written anything in so long. And this poor story, just abandoned... So, I'm trying to write it again D: ughkfj.**


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